Users may create papers, presentations, spreadsheets, or other documents to convey information to an audience. Users may wish to add diagrammatic representations of their information to their documents to their documents so that viewers can quickly and easily digest the information presented. SmartArt® from Microsoft® is one example of a software component for inserting diagrammatic representations.
SmartArt® or similar software components or plug-ins allow users to choose from different pre-generated and pre-loaded diagrammatic representations, such as pyramid lists, basic processes, and continuous cycles. However, the diagrammatic representations then have to be edited to include the information that the user is intending to convey. For example, a user would insert a basic process graphic for a process and would then have to edit the graphic to include the steps in the process.
Users may use the formatting and editing tools within each individual software application to create their graphics. From a usability perspective, such tools may be helpful but can be cumbersome to work with. For example, users' proficiency using such programs may vary. Even for advanced users, creating and editing such graphics can be time consuming and error prone.